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Psychology: Approaches > Biological > Flashcards

Biological Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the main assumptions of the biological approach?

A
  • Human behaviour can be explained by looking at biological stuff such as hormones, genetics, evolution and the nervous system.
  • Unwanted behaviour could be modified or removed using biological treatments such as medication for mental illness.
  • Experimental research conducted using animals can inform us about human behaviour and biological influences because we share biological similarities.
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2
Q

How many chromosomes do humans have?

A

46.

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3
Q

What are chromosomes made up of?

A

A coil of DNA.

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4
Q

How are genes relevant in psychology?

A

They ate important in the development of the brain and therefore have a role in our behaviour.

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5
Q

What is the genotype?

A

The genes a person has.

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6
Q

What is the phenotype?

A

The characteristics a person genes produce.

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7
Q

How can genetics explain psychological traits?

A
  • Faulty genes are known to cause some diseases that have psychological effects.
  • Biological psychologists believe genetics can explain psychological traits such as gender behaviour, sexual orientation, intelligence and personality.
  • Study genetics to see which genes make people more likely to develop mental illness or addiction.
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8
Q

What is the method, result and conclusion of Gottesman (1991)?

A
  • Carried out a meta-analysis of
    approximately 40 twin studies.
  • It was found that having an identical twin with schizophrenia gave you a 48% chance of developing it as well, this was reduced to 17% with non-identical twins.
  • In conclusion, schizophrenia has a strong genetic basis.
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9
Q

What is the evaluation of Gottesman (1991)?

A
  • Carried out on field studies which gave the research high ecological validity.
  • Only half of identical twins developing schizophrenia means that there is another factor involved.
  • Identical twins are normally treated more similarly than non-identical twins which means the family environment plays a significant role.
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10
Q

What is the method, result and conclusion of Heston (1966)?

A
  • 47 adopted children whose biological mothers had schizophrenia were studied.
  • Control group consisted of 50 adopted children whose mothers did not have schizophrenia.
  • The children were followed up as adults and were interviewed and given intelligence and personality tests.
  • 5 of the 47 became schizophrenic.
  • 0 of the 50 became schizophrenic.
  • 4 of the 47 were classified as borderline schizophrenic.
  • The study supports the view that schizophrenia has a genetic basis.
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11
Q

What is the evaluation of Heston (1966)?

A
  • Interview data can be unreliable and affected by social desirability bias.
  • However, interviews are a good way of getting data in a naturalistic way.
  • The control group haven’t shown any symptoms yet so it cannot be ruled out.
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12
Q

What are the 5 basic techniques used to examine brain activity and anatomy?

A
  • PET scans.
  • CAT scans.
  • MRI scans.
  • Functional MRI scans.
  • SQUID magnetometry.
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13
Q

How do PET scans help psychologists?

A
  • Shows which parts of the brain are active during different tasks.
  • Can link certain areas of the brain with particular functions.
  • Allow us to see where the brain is most active when we’re thinking about certain things.
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14
Q

How do CAT scans help psychologists?

A
  • Detect damaged parts of the brain such as tumours and blood clots.
  • Brain structure is show but not the functions.
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15
Q

How do MRI scans help psychologists?

A
  • Detect small tumours.
  • Provides detailed information about brain structure.
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16
Q

How do functional MRI scans help psychologists?

A
  • Provides structural and functional information.
17
Q

How does SQUID magnetometry help psychologists?

A
  • Produces accurate images of brain activity by measuring the magnetic fields generated when neurons are activated.
18
Q

What was the method of the research was carried out in Maguire et al (2000)?

A
  • MRI scans from 16 licensed male London taxi drivers were compared with a control group who had never driven a taxi.
  • All the taxi drivers has been working for at least 18 months.
19
Q

What were the results of Maguire et al (2000)?

A
  • The average size of the right posterior hippocampus was significantly larger amongst the taxi drivers compared to the control group.
  • The longer they had been working the larger their right posterior hippocampus was.
20
Q

What was the concluded in Maguire et al (2000)?

A

The hippocampus is responsible for storing a spatial representation of the environment.

21
Q

What are the positive evaluations from Maguire et al (2000)?

A
  • Findings could be used to help those with brain injuries as it shows that the size of structures within the brain can be influenced through cognitive activity.
  • Rehabilitation can be tailored to the specific needs of individuals and their injuries.
  • Good level of control and could be replicated which increases its reliability.
22
Q

What are the negative evaluations from Maguire et al (2000)?

A
  • The small sample size decreases its validity.
  • Can only be generalised to male taxi drivers in London.
  • Can’t be generalised to other areas of the brain.
23
Q

What did Bard and Mountcastle (1948) find regarding aggression?

A
  • Lesioning areas of the brain of cats led to changes in levels of aggression.
  • Their research suggests that the hypothalamus and amygdala are involved in aggression.
24
Q

What did Miller et al (1957) find regarding memory?

A
  • HM was unable to use his LTM effectively.
  • Suggests the hippocampus has an important role in LTM.
25
Q

What did Szeszko et al (1995) find regarding psychopathology?

A
  • There were differences in the prefrontal cortex when comparing people with and without schizophrenia.
  • Suggests there’s a relationship between the prefrontal cortex and schizophrenia.
26
Q

What are the strengths of the biological approach?

A
  • Provides evidence to support or disprove a theory.
  • Very scientific approach.
  • Biological treatments can be used to help individuals with mental health issues.
27
Q

What are the weaknesses of the biological approach?

A
  • Doesn’t take into account the influence of individual’s environment, their family, childhood experiences or social situations.
  • Using this approach as an explanation for negative behaviour can lead to individuals not taking personal or social responsibility for their behaviour.

Psychology: Approaches (4 decks)

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